Beware Of “I-Am-Stuck-Send-Money” Scam

Jun 13th, 2008

by C5.

This has been happening for quite some time now, first through email, and now even through text (SMS).

More than a month ago I received an email from someone I know–my broker. He said he somebody scammed him and he was stuck in Nigeria and lost all the money he had and if I please send him $4,000 so he can come back home.

Familiar?

The first thing that came to my mind was that his email was hacked, and I was right. First, of all people, he would ask ME money? Duh, I’m poorer than most poor people! Financially, that is. The scammer was able to hack his email and sent the same email to the addresses in his address book. That’s one reason I normally don’t keep email addresses but keeping merely emails will still give them the addresses, though more difficult.

Another avenue that scammers use is the mobile phone. I haven’t deleted what I received last June 3 at 10:40am. The message came from this number: +639064579915. SIM cards are very cheap these days, it’s almost like disposable. (I had my number since 4 years ago, I think.)

The message was:

hon d2 ka nalang reply or call asap mahalaga sasabihen ko sa yo send ka load 150pesos last txt na e2.

For those who cannot understand, the texter was implying that he/she ran out of load and that I send P150 so he/she can “move” because apparently it is his/her last text load so he/she cannot reply for further clarification.

In the first place, my husband does not call me ‘hon.’

Also, he has no mobile phone. Since he’s at the office, he uses his YM to text me. And since no one else texts him but me, why buy a mobile phone?

Assuming that he does call me ‘hon’ and he has a mobile phone, why will I send an unknown number some load? Why not to his old number (if it just ran out of load then it will work if I send it some load)? But before I send it some load, perhaps I’ll call first and listen to the voice who will answer if it is truly him. Because if it’s not, then someone could have stolen the phone….and that would be a double dose of scam.